The Modesto Junior College Observatory is a high grade instrument for observing the night sky. It rests in a small tower structure behind the Science Community Center on the West Campus. It was paid for via the measure E bond voted in by citizens of Modesto.

What is an Observatory?

An observatory is a covered instrument shelter, usually hemispherical, protecting a telescope used for observation of celestial events.

Observatory Capabilities

Our observatory will be able to perform visible-light observation of the night sky using a very impressive 28-inch cassegrain telescope (Corrected Dall-Kirkham, CDK). This includes live digital output using our CCD camera, astrophotography also using the CCD camera, spectrography using a spectrometer, and naked eye observation through an eyepiece.